Computer systems today provide a wide range of efficiencies previously unavailable. The use of word processors, spreadsheets, database managers, finance managers, and other applications is enjoying unprecedented growth. This growth is global in nature. Presently, applications are typically designed as stand alone units which handle most, if not all, the processing related to the particular application. Occasionally the application may call on a disk operating system to perform basic I/O, but the bulk of processing is performed by the application program.
One of the most common types of data in computing is numerical data. Virtually every application program requires processing and manipulation of data. Because each application program handles numerical data internally, there is a wide variation in how numerical data is handled. This often creates incompatibilities between application programs. Another problem is a result of the shrinking global culture. There are a wide variety of monetary systems in the world, which create a correspondingly wide variety of notations and grammars which are used to convey monetary information. This variety results in complications in transferring information between parts of the world because the numerical monetary information must be appropriately reworked to be understood by the recipient of the information.
Other problems arise from the basic form in which numerical information is maintained. It is often the case that numbers begin as text, a form which can not be easily dealt with from a mathematical perspective. The numerical information has to be converted to a format which is easily handled, a form other than text. There are a wide variety of other numerical data inconsistencies beyond those considered above. But there is clearly a recognition that numbers appearing in one setting are not easily used in another setting. Whether it be between application programs, between geographical areas, between one storage format and another, between monetary systems, or between number system formats, any time there are inconsistencies, inefficiencies are created.
Therefore, there is a need to eliminate, or assist in eliminating, the inconsistencies of numerical information, or at least try to provide efficient systems and methods for converting numerical information from one system to another.